Notre Dame’s CFP bid in serious danger after Miami loss as soft schedule sounds the alarm originally appeared on The Sporting News
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended last season watching the Ohio State Buckeyes win the National Championship — a painful reminder that they fell just one win short of the ultimate goal. For Notre Dame, this season is all about growth. The team is hungry after coming so close.
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The Fighting Irish lost on a play that Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had warned them not to run. Still, Notre Dame remained committed to its aggressive defensive identity.
“We’re not going to change who we are. We’re going to play man coverage like we do every week. We’re going to go out there and challenge their receivers,” Leonard Moore said.
While this season is still uncertain for Notre Dame, there’s hope they can make it back to the College Football Playoff. On Sunday, the Irish visited Miami and lost a close game, 27–24. After the game, head coach Marcus Freeman addressed the team’s performance.
“It’s the first game of the year versus a heck of an opponent. We obviously got a new quarterback starting, and we got to do things to try to help him kind of figure his way out. And defensively, we got to be better in crucial parts of the game,” Freeman said. “I think in crucial parts, they actually did play well. It’s the parts that maybe, the normal situation. We weren’t as, really, as high performing as I would like in that situation. So, we’ll take it — we’ll get back to work. Look at ways to fix it and utilize this bye week and get ready for our next opponent, [Texas] A&M.”
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The upcoming game against Texas A&M is critical, especially given Notre Dame’s relatively weak schedule. A&M may be their last opportunity to secure a meaningful win that strengthens their case for the CFP.
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“Obviously Notre Dame still alive for College Football Playoff, but margin of error is thin. Only ranked team left is Texas A&M in 2 weeks (unless USC gets ranked). No guarantees for 10-2 Irish,” On3’s Brett McMurphy posted.
This is not the position Notre Dame wanted to be in after just one week. The pressure is already mounting. A slip-up against Texas A&M would leave the Irish with no quality wins remaining on their schedule — unless another opponent drastically improves. After making it to the National Championship game last year, this season could prove to be a much tougher climb just to have a chance at getting back.
